Statement of Work

Memory speaks to the spirit of my ancestors that can be heard in trees, water, and the landscape. Material is important to process, I use treated paper layered with bee’s wax, and I twist / crush / fold / tear / cut paper to symbolize memory. I use these methods of material manipulation to address the spiritual forces of nature. Part of my artistic practice is to ask the material to tell me what it knows about the past, and I respond to its tactile sensibilities. The physicality of crushing, tearing, and folding material allows me to find a way to communicate and express an interest with spirits from the past. I seek places where I believe the spirit of the ancestors can still be heard throughout the landscape.

Ossabaw Island, near the Georgia Coast of Savannah evokes this spiritual connection of working with nature, especially in spaces where Spanish Moss hangs from the Oak trees. This coastal island is a place of rich southern history, dating back to Spanish and English occupation. The island’s occupation of those countries brought with it a sizable population of slaves, which consequently bred spiritual practice within nature on the island. The spiritual practice of the slaves was ingrained in the world around them, and stories of the natural world being affected by spiritual phenomena proliferated overtime into the memory of Ossabaw. The Spanish Moss on the island carries memory, and contains historical memory in it’s DNA. The unique plant holds water and survives around death and serves as a metaphor for the historical stories of enslaved women from the past and present.

Collage monotypes of various color paper with earth tone colors and organic shapes explore how touch, sound, texture, movement, color, and language interact with material and stories from the past. The abstract lines in my drawings with india ink and hand made drawing tools create expressions of the unique plant and its spiritual significance. My experimentation with paper-based and natural materials connect the discovery of a deeper understanding that surrounds the mysterious aspects of nature and its relationship to the stories of the women warriors.